I have been knitting for a long time, a really long time, almost half a century. For most of that time, until about 10 years ago, I limited myself to simple knitting and purling.  Don’t get me wrong, I knit beautiful sweaters with perfect gauge and could compete with the best finishers out there, but with the exception of sweaters for my tiny nephew and niece that had little elephants marching around the yoke, I never tried anything beyond plain old knitting and purling with one color at a time.

Then came the internet and I found out people were engaging in all kinds of adventurous knitting. Gorgeous color work, lace knitting, beaded knitting, modular knitting, double knitting, people even made (gasp!) SOCKS. After hearing my mom talk about the agony of knitting my dad a pair of argyle socks way back in the 1940s, I swore I would never go THERE. This was a woman who happily knit a full sized afghan in popcorn stitch. Yes, the whole thing.  If she could do that and not complain, those socks must have been a nightmare. When I found out there was a whole internet discussion group with thousands of members dedicated to making socks, I had to check it out. After reading that list for a while and with the encouragement of other local knitters, I finally gave sock knitting a try. And I was hooked.

Since then, I have ventured into other knitting realms without trepidation. After all, it is all just moving string around; what could go wrong? (There are a few bags shoved in closets and under the bed that can answer that question, but for the most part, it has been fun.) I have never regretted stepping outside of my self imposed limitations to try new knitting techniques. As my new found adventurous knitting spirit has evolved, more and more knitting doors have opened. No longer do I decide against trying a pattern I love because it employs a new technique. On the contrary, I seek adventure.

In that spirit, Knit On! is offering more technique classes for you this fall. Are you willing to step outside of your self imposed limitations to try something new? This week you can join us to learn how to knit with beads, how to knit lace and/or how to knit a sock. Later this month, you can learn how to Crochet By Numbers. (If you want to learn how, but don’t crochet, take the Learn to Knit/Crochet class offered twice a week and you will be ready to go. One session should do it.) Other techniques will be offered in weeks to come. And if we don’t offer a technique you would like to learn, ask and we will try to get it on the class list.

What techniques have you been too timid to try? I challenge you to learn at least one new technique this week. Take a look at our calendar to make your choice, then call us at 859-291-5648 to reserve your place in class. Feel the excitement of embarking on a new adventure in knitting or crochet!

In my last post, I wrote about new beginnings. The problem with new beginnings is they take a while to put into place, and then you have a lot to talk about all at once to get all of that newness out there where everyone can find out about it, so this blog is chalk full of news. Let’s get right down to it! Since we in the social media are supposed to keep things short and to the point, I feel the use of bullet points is in order.

• We have new inventory arriving daily. That’s not a slogan. It is the literal truth. We will be rolling out pics on Facebook, Twitter and Ravelry, so be sure to like, follow and join us.  Also, please share and re-tweet to spread the word.  The more new customers we have, the more great inventory we can bring to you!
  

• We have a new interactive calendar right here on our website.  Click on the word “Notes” after each calendar entry for a full explanation of what the class or event is. Then call the shop to sign up for the classes and events!!

• We are introducing our Fabulous Fiber Fridays this month.  Every 3rd Friday, we will have some kind of event for you to attend.  For our first event on September 19th, we are very happy to be hosting an awesome trunk show from Mindy Wilkes Designs. Meet Mindy and see her beautiful shawls and accessories in person. Her patterns (and of course our yarns) will be available for sale during the trunk show.
  

• Our first Cash for Stash sale will be held September 20th and 21st. Everyone who has heard about this is so excited!!  Now you are about to be, too. You drop off your unloved stash you want to sell during the week before the sale starts, then come back to shop for great bargains on the sale days.  If your stash sells, you get Knit On! Cash to spend like money in the shop.  The details are in the Cash for Stash Sale Note on the calendar.
• Why do people wait until two weeks before a baby shower to send out the invitations? Don’t they know it takes time to make a baby afghan? With our Baby Afghan Club, you never again will be caught unprepared. We will meet every 2nd and 4th Thursday to build our stash of baby  afghans and increase our skills.  There will be one knit and one crochet selection every month or two, depending on the speed with which we complete our projects. Check out the calendar for pics of this month’s selections. Nanci and Linny will be teaching.
• While you are on the calendar, check out the new classes. In September, TJ is teaching Blocking 101 and Oops! I Can Fix That! We are offering a $10 discount if you want to take both classes. More classes in September include Scrubbies with Sally, Beaded Elegance Bracelets with Nanci and our Learn to Knit or Crochet/Student’s Choice with Sally which is offered every week all year round.
• Look ahead to October classes when Laura will be teaching a lace series (Lace 1, 2, 3).  She has three beautiful projects lined up for you. If you take all three sessions you will get a $10 discount.  Sally will be teaching a three part sock knitting class and Dina will be back with Crochet By Numbers. If you have not seen Dina’s work, you have missed out.  It is amazing.  Her crocheted portraits look like photographs. Four samples of her work are hanging in the shop, so take a look when you stop in this week. Wouldn’t it be great to crochet an afghan to look like your favorite photograph? Our October Fabulous Fiber Friday will feature a trunk show of gorgeous shawls and other models from Baah Yarn. There will also be an abundance of Baah Yarn on hand for your fondling (and purchasing) pleasure.
• Did I mention we have tons (not literally) of new treasures in the shop? Stop in to see them all (and buy some of them, too).
  

See? I told you we've been busy! We hope you will take advantage of all of these great classes and events in the shop. We are putting them together for you.  If there is a class you would like to take or an event you would like to attend, but we haven’t thought of it, just let us know.  We love to hear from you.  We will do our best to accommodate all reasonable requests. Call 859-291-5648 or email kniton2004@aol.com

As August winds up and we head into September, a new school year is upon us.  As a child, this was always my favorite time of the year. I loved all of the changes at hand. There were new school clothes from Sears & Roebuck, new shoes from Rifkin's in Dayton, and always, the school supplies - paper, pencils, crayons and don't forget the box of Kleenexes. Even now, almost half a century since my first day of school, something inside me stirs when the back to school season starts. It is that sense of new beginnings that I love so much.

And so it is at Knit On! this September that we will be embarking on our own new beginnings. We will be ramping up our social media presence to keep you better informed; we will be announcing the first slate of classes for the Knit On! Fiber Academy; and we will be bringing you many opportunities to participate in programs at the shop.

We don't want you to miss out on a single bit of Knit On! goodness, so be sure to:

• follow us on Twitter @KnitOnNKy,

• like and follow us on Facebook,

• join us on Ravelry,

• add this blog to your RSS Feed (on the right side of this page) and

• sign up for our newsletter, below.

We are so glad you will be joining us as we begin our new adventures at Knit On!

Are you on Ravelry, but have no idea how to use it? 

Did you just say to yourself, "What's a Ravelry?" 

If you answered YES to either of these questions, you need to pick up the phone right now to call Knit On! to schedule a Ravelry class with Laura.  You have been missing out on the greatest knitting, crocheting and spinning website in the world.  Four million fiberholics cannot be wrong!

Ravelry is a free website where you can join millions of your new friends in an orgasmic journey on the innerwebs.  Imagine a convention center filled with people from all over the world who have brought their stashes and projects (both WIPs and FOs) and photos of their future projects. Now imagine there are break out groups where folks are discussing any topic you can possibly think of and groups where people are knitting or crocheting various themed items.  (I recently learned of a group reading Agatha Christie mysteries while knitting patterns based on characters from those books.) Really, with over 30,000 different groups, there is something for everyone. The real problem is keeping yourself from joining 500 groups your first time on. Of course, the first group you will want to join is the Knit On! group.

Ravelry is FREE, but gas and cat food are not, so we are charging a modest fee of $15 for the class.  You will need to bring a laptop or any other device that accesses the internet. CAVEAT: A smart phone is probably too small to learn on. Don't have a laptop or other devise?  No worries.  We will arrange to have something for your use.  Be sure to let Laura know when you schedule the class. Call 859-291-5648 today to sign up for your private class.  That's right - you will have Laura's full attention. That $15 is sounding like an even better deal now, isn't it?  Call today!

As we head into hopefully warmer weather, our thoughts turn to smaller projects that won't make us "glow" as we knit.  A great small project is a pair of socks. Why are socks a great project? Let me count the ways:

1. The whole project will fit into a quart sized bag.
2. You can amaze your friends by making socks using nothing but yarn and lots of little  sticks.
3. In the alternative, you can amaze your friends by knitting a sock on one really long circular needle.
4. Usually one skein of yarn is all you need.
5. A half a skein of sock yarn will make a pair of footies.
   
6. Wool socks are great in the summer (absorb glowage from feet) and winter (warm and cozy).
7. Depending on the pattern, sock knitting can be mindless or challenging - something for everyone!
8. You'll finally understand what kitchenering is and know how to do it.
9. Socks make great gifts.
10. You can rack up lots of good karma by knitting socks for orphans who live in a really cold climate.

I'm sure there are many more reasons, perhaps as many as 101, in which case I will save that for an article I will sell to Interweave Knits and make my fortune, but I digress.

Starting April 5th, 2014 and continuing on April 12th and 26th (same year), Sally will be teaching a class on how to knit socks. This will be a lot of fun because you will get to knit socks with Sally and you will have a good reason to get out of the house for three Saturdays in April, thereby shirking your responsibilities at home. Hey, leave home on the 19th, too. Who will know there's no class? You are going to have to go out anyway to buy new Easter candy to replace all of the Easter candy you bought in early March and subsequently ate when you realized Easter was late this year and you could not resist those delicious Reese's eggs and sugary Peeps for an entire extra month. See? You really are a good person after all.

So call today to sign up for class. It is only $35 for all three sessions combined which is a lot less than you spent on that Easter candy. Class is 2-4 pm, but you can tell your children it is very difficult to learn how to knit socks (this is a lie), so mommy will be gone from noon until 9 pm.  859-291-5648.  Call ahead to reserve your spot in class. Do it right now before you forget how much you really want to learn to knit socks. If the shop is closed or you are at work and cannot be overheard making a personal call, email us at kniton2004@aol.com with your name and telephone number.

As always, materials are extra and must be purchased at Knit On!. Yes, it all goes for cat food. Well, except for the part that goes for rent, payroll and every other expense we have. Thank you for your patronage. And don't forget to call or email. Right now.

If you are looking for a fast and easy summer project, take Sally's Crocheted Necklace Class.  Knitters - keep reading!  You need zero crochet skills to succeed in this class.  Sally will teach you everything you need to know.  The class is Sunday, the 21st of July 2013.  The fee is just $15 plus materials (an H hook and a ball of railroad yarn).  Sally will supply the findings. As usual, materials must be purchased at Knit On! 

Why do we require you to purchase your materials at our shop?  So we can  keep Tanner in cat chow. Girl, you know that ain't cheap.

So now that that's out of the way, we hope to see many of you at class.  These necklaces are great. They make up really fast. You could knock out several of these during a double feature at the Starlite Drive-In Theater. BONUS: Popcorn "butter" won't show on the nubby textured yarn. You can wear them, give them as gifts or make your fortune selling them to friends, co-workers and second cousins at your family reunion.  And best of all, the class gets you out of the house for a few hours.  See?  It's going to be a lot of fun! So call today to sign up for the class.  859-291-5648.

Sally Dixon will be teaching a new class on Sunday, June 30th at 2:30 pm.  Students will learn how to crochet this necklace in just one session. 

We love the look of this necklace which is made with any ladder yarn.  One of our Mittens for Akkol supporters made these for the older girls in the orphanages we support in Kazakhstan.  The girls loved them!  You will love making and wearing your own.  Or make them for gifts or to sell at craft fairs.  For more information, click on our classes page, above.

For the past two weeks the UPS delivery man has been visiting Knit On! on a daily basis, our knitting elves have been busy whipping up new models and we keep finding ourselves uttering the phrase, "Where can we put this one?"  There is so much new knitting goodness in the shop that I almost don't know where to start, so I will just jump right in.  Click on the images for information about the yarn pictured.

It's a new season and time for a fresh look. We hope you like the new look of our website! There are so many wonderful new yarns and accessories at Knit On! and more arriving every week.  Check back here or drop by the shop to see what we have brought in for your knitting enjoyment.

Tristan is a new yarn from Knitting Fever.  It is 65% Viscose/35% Linen and comes in 100g hanks of 259 yards.  Make this cute eyelet lace shawl with just 3 hanks. Click on the photo to download the pattern at no cost then stop by Knit On! to choose your yarn.